


Descent and Settle

by orphan_account



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Aftercare, Dom!Shane, Fluff, M/M, literally just pure fluff, sub!Ryan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 21:46:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13373685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Drifting in subspace is one of Ryan’s favourite feelings in the entire world.





	Descent and Settle

Drifting in subspace is one of Ryan’s favourite feelings in the entire world.

Everything around him feels soft and muzzy, fuzzy like fog and warm like sunlight on skin. He’s aware of stinging marks on his ribs and back and wrists, is aware of the deep pulsing _ache_ of bruises that have been laid against his thighs and neck, but they feel _distant_ , old and unimportant and forgettable, and whatever sensation he gets from them just feel pleasant, more than anything; a gentle reminder of why he feels the way he does.

He blinks once, and doesn’t bother to open his eyes afterwards. There’s light pressure against his face, a soft exhale against his skin, and it takes him a little while to recognise the kiss that’s pressed to his cheek before a hand moves over to cover it.

He tilts his head, eyes still shut, and nuzzles into the open palm pressed against his cheek. Inhales, and smells sweat and familiarity and _comfort_ , a combined smell that settles around his shoulders as warm and heavy as the blanket that’s already there. Ryan inhales again, and practically purrs when the hand against his face slips upwards and starts to run long, gentle fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp until he’s somehow even more loose and relaxed than he was before, practically turning to goo at the touch.

He’s so _content_. He wouldn’t say happy, but that’s mostly because he feels ‘happy’ requires more of an emotional response from him. He’s just content, and warm and comfortable and still pressing up into the touch and the contact, and there’s someone speaking and he’s sure whatever they’re saying is important and he knows he _should_ listen but he just… doesn’t.

And then his brain ties together _warmth_ and _comfort_ and _voice_ and says **_Shane_** , and Ryan blinks his eyes open and looks up.

Shane is crouched down before him, one hand against his face and the other holding the blanket close and tight around him, stopping it from slipping off Ryan’s shoulders until Ryan himself is able to hold onto it. He looks _stunning_ , hair wild and eyes bright, and Ryan loves him with an adoration that pulses in time to his bruises.

 _Shane,_ he thinks, or possibly says, and when Shane smiles it feels like the goddamn sun has burst through the clouds to warm Ryan right down to his very bones.

“Hey, baby,” Shane says, and the words are so soft Ryan wants to _drown_ in them, just wrap himself up in Shane’s voice and leave the rest of the world on some other plane of existence entirely. He smiles slightly, not quite feeling like talking yet, and blinks once, slow and lazy.

Shane laughs, and it’s the best thing Ryan’s ever heard.

Never mind that it’s a sound he hears practically every day. Never mind that it’s a sound he heard only a few hours ago, when they were chatting about a movie and flicking popcorn at each other and generally acting slightly like dicks. That laugh was in the past, and so it doesn’t matter now, because now Ryan can listen to Shane laugh _again_ , and it’s beautiful and perfect and so much better than memory.

He doesn’t purr, because that’s not what a grown man does (and he’s not gonna think about how said grown man is currently kneeling nude on the floor, wrapped only in the snuggliest blanket known to man), but he does tilt his head into Shane’s touch again, and lean forward just a little bit more, to be closer to the laugh.

“You’re like a cat,” Shane says, and proves his point by scratching at Ryan’s scalp, and then laughing softly to himself when Ryan’s eyes flutter closed once again. “Look at you, you’re practically goddamn purring. You alright there, little kitty?”

Ryan frowns. He’s not sure he likes ‘little kitty’, and he opens his eyes to give Shane a glare that he hopes conveys that sentiment, because he still doesn’t feel like talking.

Shane, to his credit, doesn’t seem to mind at all.

“Alright then,” he says, and leans in to press a kiss to Ryan’s forehead. Ryan feels his toes curl, and he can’t help the smile that instantly crosses his face. “No ‘kitty’. Just Ryan, because that’s your name, and baby.” Shane grins. “And you don’t get to fight me on ‘baby’, because I know you like it. Even if you tell me not to call you it every now and again.”

 _I don’t mean it_ , Ryan means to say, and tries to, but it comes out more like a slightly disgruntled mumble. Shane laughs again (beautiful, _beautiful_ , Ryan wants to live inside that sound forever), and runs his fingers through Ryan’s sweaty hair again.

“Baby,” he says, “My good boy. Ryan.” He leans in and kisses Ryan’s cheek, his forehead, his fluttering eyelids. Everything is soft and gentle and Ryan is so damn comfortable. “You did so well.”

The praise sends a burst of warmth through Ryan’s chest, and he can’t stop himself from squirming just a little in delight. The motion sends another fresh wave of pain through his bruises, but he doesn’t care. He did _well_.

Shane clearly notices this. More than that; he knows by now Ryan’s fondness for praise. “So well,” he repeats, and returns to petting Ryan’s hair, “I was so _proud_ of you, baby. You were an absolute champ. Beautiful and brilliant and just- just _perfect_ , you know? You were perfect, and I’m so proud of you.”

Ryan squirms happily again, and hears Shane huff out a short breath of laughter. _Hell fucking yes_ he did well. He was _perfect_. High praise indeed.

“Proud of my good boy,” Shane murmurs, “And now I’m gonna look after you. Get you all relaxed and comfy for when you de-bliss.”

Ugh. Ryan doesn’t like the sound of de-blissing. He’s very happy to be completely blissed, thank you very much.

“You wanna take a bath?”

Ryan frowns to himself. If he has a bath then he’ll have to give up his blanket, and he _really_ doesn’t want to do that. Shane gave him this blanket. Shane picked it out specially. Shane made sure it was soft and fluffy and warm but not _too_ fluffy, because when things get _too_ fluffy Ryan doesn’t really like how they feel, especially against over-sensitive, bruise-painted skin. And Shane just wrapped him in this blanket and Ryan is loathe to let go of it, so he mulls over Shane’s question for all of half a second before shaking his head.

“Alrighty then,” Shane says, “I’ll just wipe you down instead, alright? Because frankly we’re both gross, and I love you and all, but I’m not cuddling when you’ve literally got cum on you.”

Ryan acknowledges that. It’s a fair point.

“You want to get into bed?”

He does. Bed is very comfortable. He makes this known by giving a little hum of approval.

“Yeah, I thought you would. Do you think you can stand up for me, baby?”

That… Ryan’s really not actually sure about that. He feels like he _should_ be able to stand, but the blanket feels like it’s weighing him down with it’s softness and he’s just so damn _comfortable_. After a moment’s contemplation he shrugs, and then shakes his head. _Sorry, Shane_.

“That’s alright. I’ve got you.”

 _You’ve always got me_.

“Okay,” Shane says, more to himself, and he reaches down to wrap his hands around Ryan’s shoulders and arms, starting to gently lift him to his feet. Ryan’s a bit wobbly – scratch that, he’s _very_ wobbly – but Shane doesn’t seem to mind supporting his weight one bit, and so Ryan has absolutely no caveats about flopping forwards and letting himself be held. Shane’s arms move instantly to wrap around him, and Ryan can feel their warmth and the warmth of Shane’s body even through the thick fabric of the blanket, and he would honestly be content to just doze off right here, standing upright in the middle of his bedroom.

“Ryan.”

Ryan opens his eyes. He hadn’t even noticed he’d shut them.

“Ryan.”

He grumbles, just a little, and presses his forehead against Shane’s shoulder again.

“ _Baby_.”

Ryan tilts his head back with a groan, and frowns up at his Dom. Shane just smiles gently down at him, like the _bastard_ he is. “I gotta get you into bed,” he says softly, “And that’s gonna be easier if you cooperate, you know?”

Ryan does know. Of course he knows. They’ve done this so many times before he feels he knows every step of it off by heart already. That’s not going to stop him from being a little shit about it though.

He leans back, as if he’s actually going to stand upright under his own power, and holds it just long enough for Shane to think that he’s going to behave – and really, he should know better than that by now – before flopping back onto Shane’s chest, wheezing out a short laugh.

 _Haha, Shane. Fooled you_.

Shane, who definitely had not been fooled, only sighs, and holds Ryan again. “Alright,” he says, “You asked for this. You ready?”

Ryan frowns. _Ready for what_ , he thinks, and feels his train of thought abruptly cut off as Shane suddenly ducks down, scoops up his legs, and deposit him back on the bed in one swift move. Ryan definitely does _not_ yelp. He does _not_ , no matter what Shane might say.

Shane, who is at this moment disappearing into the bathroom.

Ryan barely has enough time to stare after him in confusion before Shane is back, a glass of water in one hand and a pack of wetwipes in the other. He sets the glass of water down on the bedside table and sits down on the bed, instantly reaching out to start combing his spare hand through Ryan’s hair.

“You starting to come back to me now?” Shane asks softly, and seems to get his answer just from the look that Ryan gives him. “Alright, that’s ok. Well, I’m just gonna tell you what we’re going to do, because frankly you still look blissed the fuck out.”

Ryan contemplates this. It is definitely not an unfair observation. He still _feels_ blissed the fuck out, though now he can see the precipice of the drop starting to approach.

Shane continues. “I’m going to wipe us both down, because we’re both gross and disgusting and I know you hate it when you finally drop and you’re still, like, sweaty and all, and then after that you’re going to drink this glass of water – _all of it_ , this time – and then I’ll get us some snacks and set up a movie and we’ll cuddle until we both fall asleep. Sound good?”

Hell yeah it sounds good, and Ryan makes as much clear by beaming at Shane.

Shane beams right back. “Great! Alright, be alert, cold wetwipe incoming.” He wipes them both down with a swift efficiency that somehow doesn’t lose that undercurrent of care that’s been underlying every single one of his actions since the scene ended – hell, since it began, really. Since _always_ – and then helps Ryan to sit up against the headboard, settling in next to him and letting him lean against his side and shoulder as he slowly drinks the entire glass of water, till there’s nothing more than drops left chasing around the bottom of the glass. Shane doesn’t stop playing with his hair or kissing his forehead or stroking his arm the entire time Ryan slowly works his way through the glass, and Ryan doesn’t mind at all. He knows he’s needy as all fuck after scenes, and is just grateful that he has a boyfriend who doesn’t mind at all, and is more than willing to give him all the care and affection he needs.

Ryan passes the glass back to Shane once he’s done, and hears more than he sees it being set back down on the bedside table. He feels… not _better_ , because that would imply he doesn’t like the during- and post-scene feeling, but he certainly feels more like himself. The drop’s hitting, but Shane’s there to soften it, just as he always is.

“Alright?” Ryan feels the reverberations of the word through Shane’s chest, and hums an affirmative, before coughing a little and clearing his throat.

“Yeah,” he says, and knows his voice would sound much croakier without the glass of water Shane had him consume. “Yeah. You’re comfy.”

“Am I?” Shane asks, sounding delighted, “Well I’m glad I can be an adequate pillow for you, Mr Bergara.”

Ryan chuckles a little, and raises a hand to gently whack Shane in the chest. He misses, and hits him in the shoulder instead. “Shut up. Pillows can’t talk.”

“Mm, pillows also can’t get you a snack and a movie, so…”

“… Fine. You can stop being a pillow to get me a snack. But then you have to go back to being a pillow.”

“Ryan, remind me again who it is who’s giving the orders around here?”

Ryan grins. “Me.”

Shane hums a little, and gently curls the fingers that have been running through Ryan’s hair, just enough that he can feel them start to tug on the roots. “Come again?”

“… You do.”

“Correct.” The fingers relax. “Think you can stop yourself from falling over while I grab my laptop and the snacks?”

Ryan scoffs. “Dude. I am _sitting up in bed_. I’m a grown-ass adult. I’ll be fine.”

Shane smiles, and swings his legs to get out of bed. “Mm, yeah, you say that, but you _were_ practically huffing my collarbone earlier because apparently you didn’t know how to stand.”

“Hey, you’re the one who had me kneeling on the floor for ages!”

“I know, and you looked beautiful.” Ryan smiles, bashful, and tries not to look away. Shane reaches out, gently grabbing his chin, and doesn’t let him. “I mean it,” he says, more seriously, “You looked beautiful. I was so proud of you, baby.” Ryan can feel his cheeks reddening, growing warmer under Shane’s compliments. “You did so well, just like you always do. So now I’m going to take care of you, because you deserve it, because you were amazing. So just let me take care of you, okay?”

“…okay,” Ryan says, and lets his smile envelop his whole damn face. Shane smiles too, and leans in to press their lips together in a fleeting kiss.

“Okay,” he says, and ruffles Ryan’s hair and kisses him again before standing up, stepping away and towards the door. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.” He really wasn’t. The bed is warm and comfortable and he’s still wrapped up in the blanket, and even now that he’s more himself he still doesn’t feel like moving. He reaches out, finding his phone to be on the bedside table where he left it, and amuses himself with some mindless mobile game while he waits for Shane to come back. He’s found over the stretch of their relationship that having some sort of simple game on hand makes it easier for him when Shane has to leave him alone for slightly longer periods of time after scenes. Even if he’s more or less entirely out of subspace he’s still awfully clingy and cuddly and affectionate, and having nothing to do but mull on how much he wants Shane in bed with him, cuddling him, _right now_ only makes it worse.

He’s just finished swiping another row of blocks into non-existence when the door creaks open, and he’s got his head up and his phone back on the table before he even entirely recognises what’s happening.

Shane reappears through the door, laptop under one arm and a bowl of popcorn held in one hand. He’d somehow managed to dress himself in pyjama pants in the time Ryan wasn’t looking, which makes him feel a bit at odds before he realises that he really doesn’t fucking care. So what if Shane’s half-dressed and he’s still naked? They literally see each others dicks on a pretty regular basis, and besides, Shane looks cute in his pyjamas. They make him look even softer than he does normally, and right now Ryan wants soft.

He manages to be at least somewhat patient this time around, and waits until Shane’s ass is actually on the bed before he scoots over and leans all of his weight against his chest. The message is clear, even without words: _fucking cuddle me, you dick_.

And Shane, to his credit, absolutely does. He manages to open his laptop, log in, load up Netflix and pick a movie all with one arm wrapped securely around Ryan’s shoulders, hand running smooth and steady up and down Ryan’s arm. He doesn’t ask Ryan what movie he wants to watch, but he doesn’t have to by this point – he knows what Ryan’s comfort movies are, and as the opening notes start playing out of the speakers he reaches out and picks up the popcorn, nestling the bowl between them.

It’s pretty much perfect, Ryan thinks, and it only gets more perfect when Shane lifts up the blanket from around Ryan’s shoulders to drape it over both of them instead, trapping their shared warmth beneath it and pulling Ryan in against his chest.

“I love you,” Ryan murmurs, and feels a kiss being dropped against the top of his head in return.

“Love you too, Ry.”


End file.
